President Obama is welcomed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Manila. / Getty Images

by Thomas Maresca , Special for USA TODAY

by Thomas Maresca , Special for USA TODAY

MANILA - President Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III touted the benefits Monday of a new defense agreement, saying the goal is not to prevent China from expanding its influence but to ensure the region's disputes are handled fairly.

"Our goal is not to counter China. Our goal is not to contain China," Obama said at a news conference at Malacanang Palace. "Our goal is to make sure that international rules and norms are respected. And that includes in the area of maritime disputes."

Obama arrived in Manila on Monday afternoon for his first state visit to the Philippines shortly after the U.S. signed a 10-year defense pact that will allow increased presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which has been under negotiation for eight months, will give U.S. forces temporary access to select Philippine bases and allow them to pre-position planes and ships there.

The Philippines has ongoing territorial disputes with China at several locations in the South China Sea including the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. Recently, China has been attempting to stop the Philippines from bringing supplies to a grounded ship on the Second Thomas Shoal.

"China has said repeatedly that they will, and have been, conforming to international law," said Aquino. "And there are some that would say: we are expecting you to confirm by actions that which you already addressing by words."The Philippines has a case against China pending with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands under the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea but China has refused to take part in the arbitration.

Obama added that the United States has not taken a specific position on any of the territorial disputes. At the news conference, the leaders frequently returned to the idea of engaging China constructively.

"We welcome China's peaceful rise," said Obama. "It's inevitable that China's going to be a dominant power in this region, just by sheer size. Nobody, I think, denies that. The question is just whether other countries in the region are also able to succeed and prosper on their own terms."

On the day before Obama's arrival, people enjoying a leisurely Sunday at downtown Rizal Park offered support for an increased U.S. presence in the Philippines.

"It's a big help, of course," said Ace Torres, 34, a security supervisor for a private company in Manila. The U.S. forces "will help with our defense against China and other countries."

Rommel Estrada, 35, a clerk in the city government of Quezon, also supported the move. "In my opinion it's good for the security of the Philippines," he said. "I think the U.S. soldiers can help ours improve. And they will also help with terrorism."

Public sentiment in the Philippines is broadly pro-U.S. A Pew Research poll found that 85% of Filipinos had a favorable view of the USA, the highest rate in the world.

However, U.S. military presence in the Philippines has been a flashpoint in the past. Opponents to the new military pact believe that the Philippines is being used as a pawn in America's pivot to Asia.

"We do have disputes with China, but I believe the U.S. is capitalizing on this and using the Philippines to prevent China from emerging as another superpower," said Virgie Suarez, chairwoman of a national organization called Unity of Women for Freedom and an outspoken critic of the military pact. "This puts the Philippines in a more threatening situation."

China also appears unmoved by the conciliatory rhetoric coming from the United States and the Philippines. As Time reported, a commentary in Chinese state-run newswire Xinhua immediately after the defense agreement was signed criticized the Philippines as a "troublemaker in the South China Sea" and warned that U.S. support may "embolden Manila in dealing with Beijing."

Obama, however, was accentuating the positive as he wrapped up the four-country Asian tour that also included stops in Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

"Here's, I think, the general takeaway from this trip," he said. "Our alliances in the Asia-Pacific have never been stronger. I can say that unequivocally. Our relationships with ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia have never been stronger. I don't that's subject to dispute."